'Considered eating dog or cat food': Staggering number of Aussies forced to look in bins for food, skips meals entirely as cost of living bites under Albanese govt
A growing number of Australians are being forced to choose between food or medication as the nation's most vulnerable people continue to get crushed under the government's worsening cost of living crisis.
A new survey by The Salvation Army Australia found about 55 per cent of Aussies, who reached out to the charity, were skipping meals because of financial hardship, 57 per cent could not afford prescription medication, while almost a quarter were forced to eat expired or spoiled food, and one in 20 are dumpster diving for food.
Amongst the figures are survivors of domestic violence as well elderly residents who have considered desperate measures such as eating pet food.
"I've cut down on my medication, only taking half of my meds. I have considered eating dog or cat food," an elderly woman told The Salvation Army.
A single mother from Queensland, who fled domestic violence, said it is a mental, financial and emotional struggle, as she has to go most days without food to provide for her children.
"I've had to restart over again, which put me in financial hardship, I'm in more debt now than ever," she said.
"Bills are paid first, then kids' food, but the increase in everyday living means my kids are going to have less food.'
Parents are finding it particularly difficult to feed themselves as well as their children, which has forced 62 per cent of parents to completely skip on meals so their kids could eat.
The survey also found 43 per cent of families could not afford essentials like baby formula and nappies, while over a third (36 per cent) struggled to cover the costs of basic non-prescription medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
A 30-year-old mum, who works in the public sector, told the charity she could not provide for her family despite being employed and has considered quitting her job to save on the cost of petrol, parking and childcare.
"I feel like I am failing as a mother," she said.
A second community member said: 'I just drink water to fill up my tummy. And the milk for the baby, for example, one bottle is for four scoops of milk, I always put two scoops in every bottle. I don't use nappies for the baby because I can't afford to buy nappies for her. And also, when we wash our clothes, we are not using soap. I can't afford that.'
Several Aussies have reported a decline in mental health from completely isolating themselves as a way to avoid non-essential spending.
'To manage financially I isolate myself completely, stop eating basically, and feel desperate most of the time, thinking about how I can get through till the next payday, what else I can cancel or stop doing," a New South Wales mum said.
Major Bruce Harmer from The Salvation Army said it is "truly shocking" to see the staggering number of people doing it tough in a "country like Australia".
"No one should be forced to eat expired food or to eat out of rubbish bins," he said.
"The fact that over one in twenty (6 per cent) of those we surveyed said they were eating from dumpsters breaks our heart.
"Those presenting to us are some of the most marginalised and disadvantaged in our community."
With Australia choosing to back the Labor government for a second term after a historic election win, struggling households are hoping Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can offer more assistance or to find a way to resolve the cost of living crisis.
As part of his election promises, the PM vowed to deliver more relief including cheaper medicine and childcare, boosts to Centrelink payments and wages for low-paid workers.
Mr Albanese has also promised an $8.5billion investment to Medicare to expand the bulk billing incentive to all Australians as well as incentivise payments for clinics to bulk bill.
The Labor government's big-ticket relief items have been criticised for not doing enough to match the nation's ongoing cost of living crisis.
However despite the criticism, the Albanese government has claimed it has kept inflation down, incomes are growing and unemployment is low under its leadership.
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The Advertiser
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Ask Fuzzy: Who was Sister Elizabeth Kenny?
In June 1916, New York officially declared a polio epidemic and, in doing so, instigated a practice that we might find unacceptable today. Newspapers published the names and addresses of sufferers, placards were nailed to doors, and families quarantined. Australians too, were affected. Polio became a notifiable disease in Tasmania and other states by 1922. Despite these measures, polio incidents continued to rise until 1938, when in Australia the number of cases peaked at 39 per 100,000. Polio, sometimes called infantile paralysis, is a devastating disease that causes muscle fatigue and spasms in the limbs, often accompanied by severe pain. When Elizabeth Kenny first encountered the disease, the accepted practice was to immobilise the patient. With splints and plaster body casts to prevent muscle tightening, many paralysed patients lay for months at a time. Unfortunately this would often atrophy both affected and healthy muscles. The Australian Elizabeth Kenny (1880 -1952) became something of a maverick by developing what was then considered a radical treatment. In 1913 Kenny opened a small hospital in Queensland, where her method was reportedly used with success. To ease pain, she lay strips of hot moist cloth over the person's affected areas. And rather than immobilising her patients, she had them do exercises such as bending and flexing joints. Several times a day, they'd move them through a limited range of motion. In doing so, she went directly against the orthodoxy, but her methods are now thought to be a forerunner of modern physiotherapy. However Elizabeth Kenny remains a tricky subject. In some ways, she resembles today's self-appointed heroes who reveal their groundbreaking treatment that busts open the orthodoxy. Kenny appears to have been a skilled self-promoter. She became famous in the United States and her story even featured in a 1946 Hollywood movie. But some saw her as a tireless propagandist who manipulated, or even falsified, her results. She claimed to have achieved an astounding 80 per cent recovery rate, but this was based on observation and intuition rather than any scientific study. MORE ASK FUZZY: Her approach was based on a fundamental misconception that the problem was a muscular one that could be corrected through "muscle re-education". As some researchers thought at the time and has subsequently been proven, polio paralysis is actually a neurological condition. As someone with direct experience of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) and Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), I cannot imagine a worse treatment than to stop a person exercising. Treatment today is more nuanced. As with the Kenny method, it includes hot moist packs and physical therapy. However, institutions such as the Mayo Clinic also include appropriate bed rest and even "splints or other devices to encourage good position of the spine and limbs". The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: In June 1916, New York officially declared a polio epidemic and, in doing so, instigated a practice that we might find unacceptable today. Newspapers published the names and addresses of sufferers, placards were nailed to doors, and families quarantined. Australians too, were affected. Polio became a notifiable disease in Tasmania and other states by 1922. Despite these measures, polio incidents continued to rise until 1938, when in Australia the number of cases peaked at 39 per 100,000. Polio, sometimes called infantile paralysis, is a devastating disease that causes muscle fatigue and spasms in the limbs, often accompanied by severe pain. When Elizabeth Kenny first encountered the disease, the accepted practice was to immobilise the patient. With splints and plaster body casts to prevent muscle tightening, many paralysed patients lay for months at a time. Unfortunately this would often atrophy both affected and healthy muscles. The Australian Elizabeth Kenny (1880 -1952) became something of a maverick by developing what was then considered a radical treatment. In 1913 Kenny opened a small hospital in Queensland, where her method was reportedly used with success. To ease pain, she lay strips of hot moist cloth over the person's affected areas. And rather than immobilising her patients, she had them do exercises such as bending and flexing joints. Several times a day, they'd move them through a limited range of motion. In doing so, she went directly against the orthodoxy, but her methods are now thought to be a forerunner of modern physiotherapy. However Elizabeth Kenny remains a tricky subject. In some ways, she resembles today's self-appointed heroes who reveal their groundbreaking treatment that busts open the orthodoxy. Kenny appears to have been a skilled self-promoter. She became famous in the United States and her story even featured in a 1946 Hollywood movie. But some saw her as a tireless propagandist who manipulated, or even falsified, her results. She claimed to have achieved an astounding 80 per cent recovery rate, but this was based on observation and intuition rather than any scientific study. MORE ASK FUZZY: Her approach was based on a fundamental misconception that the problem was a muscular one that could be corrected through "muscle re-education". As some researchers thought at the time and has subsequently been proven, polio paralysis is actually a neurological condition. As someone with direct experience of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) and Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), I cannot imagine a worse treatment than to stop a person exercising. Treatment today is more nuanced. As with the Kenny method, it includes hot moist packs and physical therapy. However, institutions such as the Mayo Clinic also include appropriate bed rest and even "splints or other devices to encourage good position of the spine and limbs". The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: In June 1916, New York officially declared a polio epidemic and, in doing so, instigated a practice that we might find unacceptable today. Newspapers published the names and addresses of sufferers, placards were nailed to doors, and families quarantined. Australians too, were affected. Polio became a notifiable disease in Tasmania and other states by 1922. Despite these measures, polio incidents continued to rise until 1938, when in Australia the number of cases peaked at 39 per 100,000. Polio, sometimes called infantile paralysis, is a devastating disease that causes muscle fatigue and spasms in the limbs, often accompanied by severe pain. When Elizabeth Kenny first encountered the disease, the accepted practice was to immobilise the patient. With splints and plaster body casts to prevent muscle tightening, many paralysed patients lay for months at a time. Unfortunately this would often atrophy both affected and healthy muscles. The Australian Elizabeth Kenny (1880 -1952) became something of a maverick by developing what was then considered a radical treatment. In 1913 Kenny opened a small hospital in Queensland, where her method was reportedly used with success. To ease pain, she lay strips of hot moist cloth over the person's affected areas. And rather than immobilising her patients, she had them do exercises such as bending and flexing joints. Several times a day, they'd move them through a limited range of motion. In doing so, she went directly against the orthodoxy, but her methods are now thought to be a forerunner of modern physiotherapy. However Elizabeth Kenny remains a tricky subject. In some ways, she resembles today's self-appointed heroes who reveal their groundbreaking treatment that busts open the orthodoxy. Kenny appears to have been a skilled self-promoter. She became famous in the United States and her story even featured in a 1946 Hollywood movie. But some saw her as a tireless propagandist who manipulated, or even falsified, her results. She claimed to have achieved an astounding 80 per cent recovery rate, but this was based on observation and intuition rather than any scientific study. MORE ASK FUZZY: Her approach was based on a fundamental misconception that the problem was a muscular one that could be corrected through "muscle re-education". As some researchers thought at the time and has subsequently been proven, polio paralysis is actually a neurological condition. As someone with direct experience of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) and Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), I cannot imagine a worse treatment than to stop a person exercising. Treatment today is more nuanced. As with the Kenny method, it includes hot moist packs and physical therapy. However, institutions such as the Mayo Clinic also include appropriate bed rest and even "splints or other devices to encourage good position of the spine and limbs". The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast: In June 1916, New York officially declared a polio epidemic and, in doing so, instigated a practice that we might find unacceptable today. Newspapers published the names and addresses of sufferers, placards were nailed to doors, and families quarantined. Australians too, were affected. Polio became a notifiable disease in Tasmania and other states by 1922. Despite these measures, polio incidents continued to rise until 1938, when in Australia the number of cases peaked at 39 per 100,000. Polio, sometimes called infantile paralysis, is a devastating disease that causes muscle fatigue and spasms in the limbs, often accompanied by severe pain. When Elizabeth Kenny first encountered the disease, the accepted practice was to immobilise the patient. With splints and plaster body casts to prevent muscle tightening, many paralysed patients lay for months at a time. Unfortunately this would often atrophy both affected and healthy muscles. The Australian Elizabeth Kenny (1880 -1952) became something of a maverick by developing what was then considered a radical treatment. In 1913 Kenny opened a small hospital in Queensland, where her method was reportedly used with success. To ease pain, she lay strips of hot moist cloth over the person's affected areas. And rather than immobilising her patients, she had them do exercises such as bending and flexing joints. Several times a day, they'd move them through a limited range of motion. In doing so, she went directly against the orthodoxy, but her methods are now thought to be a forerunner of modern physiotherapy. However Elizabeth Kenny remains a tricky subject. In some ways, she resembles today's self-appointed heroes who reveal their groundbreaking treatment that busts open the orthodoxy. Kenny appears to have been a skilled self-promoter. She became famous in the United States and her story even featured in a 1946 Hollywood movie. But some saw her as a tireless propagandist who manipulated, or even falsified, her results. She claimed to have achieved an astounding 80 per cent recovery rate, but this was based on observation and intuition rather than any scientific study. MORE ASK FUZZY: Her approach was based on a fundamental misconception that the problem was a muscular one that could be corrected through "muscle re-education". As some researchers thought at the time and has subsequently been proven, polio paralysis is actually a neurological condition. As someone with direct experience of RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) and Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis), I cannot imagine a worse treatment than to stop a person exercising. Treatment today is more nuanced. As with the Kenny method, it includes hot moist packs and physical therapy. However, institutions such as the Mayo Clinic also include appropriate bed rest and even "splints or other devices to encourage good position of the spine and limbs". The Fuzzy Logic Science Show is at 11am Sundays on 2xx 98.3FM. Send your questions to AskFuzzy@ Podcast:
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The Age
an hour ago
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Aged care costs are soaring but you can still do it on a budget. Here's how
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